Methods for drying shea nuts – Sun Drying

Posted on 31. Aug, 2009 by funlayo in Production

Drying is a critical step in the production process. The nuts must be thoroughly dried in order to produce good quality shea butter. One of the characteristics of good shea butter is low moisture content. Proper sun drying ensures low moisture content and eliminates mold in the nuts and rancidity in the final products.

The challenge with sun drying is that it is time consuming. The drying period incidentally, coincides with the rainy season, so the women have to pay close attention to the weather.  The women spread out the nuts on a mat in order to dry.

Opportunities to improve the sun drying process include introducing a drying platform that will keep the nuts off the ground and allow air to circulate.

Other Methods of drying include Solar Panels and Traditional Ovens.

Tags: low FFA, low moisture content, methods of drying, quality product, quality shea butter, shea butter processing